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October 25, 2008

Election Day Elephant: Know Your Rights and Vote Early

Prevent Voter Suppression on Election Day!

The best way to guarantee your vote counts this election cycle is to vote early, in person. A few great suggestions from Bill Maher's blog, our goal is to inform voters of their rights and make sure every vote counts.

The second reason is that your photo id and voter's registration info doesn't match. If you have a problem with the precinct, go to the Main office of the Elections Center and state your problem directly to them. (To find locations, simply enter your address, this search engine returns links to state by state specific officials.) The precinct, under law, has no authority in this matter. Note that some states now require name verification and have purged voters for other administrative reasons. To prevent voter suppression, you still have 6 business days to get your ids straightened out before you head to the precinct.

1. Check your driver's license, or state ID. Is it expired? Go to your license or ID providers and renew it. In some states, voters can be held for arrest for simply presenting a suspended license.2. Owe any court fees, municipal fines? If you did not pay your child support, and your ID was suspended, any other state actions are levied against you, go in person, pay all fines, clear it up before you vote. 3. Make sure your state id name matches your voter registration format. If you registered your name differently (Mary Kay Miller vs Mary K. Miller) you still have enough time to correct it, go in person to the state office and get it fixed.